Search Results for “ape” – Page 8

Triton Digital Releases U.S. Podcast Report 2023

By TALKERS | January 30, 2024 by TALKERS

Triton Digital released its second annual U.S. Podcast Report that “provides insights into the evolving U.S. podcast landscape over the course of 2023, including listening habits, audience demographic data, and insights into the top podcasts, networks, and debuts from the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker.” The report indicates the number of monthly podcast listeners continues to rise with 12% growth over the past two years. In 2023, 40% of the U.S. population reported listening to a podcast within the past month. Other notable findings: 1) Older Americans and women are listening to podcasts at a faster rate, with a 22% increase in listeners over the age of 55 and a 19% increase in female listeners 18+ over the past two years; 2) Top podcast genres of 2023 were News (22% of downloads), True Crime (18%), and Comedy (15%). Of True Crime podcast listeners, 67% were female, of Comedy podcast listeners 62% were male, and of News podcast listeners 58% were male; 3) The top sales networks of 2023 in the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker were SiriusXM Podcast Network at #1, NPR at #2, and Wondery at #3. The top podcast of the year was “NPR News Now.” Triton Digital SVP measurement products & strategy Daryl Battaglia says, “2023 was another year of significant growth for the podcast industry, and with increasing female and over 55+ audiences, we can expect more content production to serve those groups in the coming year. As podcast listenership continues to rise and reach new audiences, we’ll continue to provide our customers with in-depth insights around podcast consumption and listener habits in the coming year.” Get the full report here.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Do You Know?

By TALKERS | January 29, 2024January 29, 2024 by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

I’m no expert, but I do have a theory.

The American media business is the most competitive and advanced in the world. Many other countries directly or indirectly control their airwaves and print publications. Not here, no way, not as long as the First Amendment protects freedom of the press. Yet with that historic, awesome guarantee in place, why are newspapers failing, magazines gutting staff and many of the newer dot coms hitting the wall?

It is inevitable that daily print publications like the LA Times and the Washington Post cut back. We’ve come a long way since Guttenberg, but low-tech printing presses, paper and ink are just not fast enough to keep up with the 24/7 information cycle. I can understand the financial woes caused by bloated staffs at Buzzfeed, Vice and most recently at Business Insider. But when Sports Illustrated gave notice to its writing crew, now you are messing with arguably the most successful sports magazine of all time.

S.I. knew how to attract great writers delivering iconic story lines. We’re talking writers like Rick Reilly, the late Frank Deford, J.F.K. – yes, the late president – Carl Sandburg and one of my favorite characters of all time the late cigar chomping New York Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin. Martha Stewart on the cover, not for me.

What happened here? The simple answers are: Too much debt, too much overhead, and too slow to recognize and act on shifting dynamics.

Yet People magazine, which has been around for 50 years and if you believe Statista, now reaches over 82 million readers a month! Can you name the last time People won a Pulitzer for a story? Yet we can all learn a critical lesson from the continued success of People. Even those of us in management in the radio/audio business.

Here comes my big theory which you can apply to content, sales, sales management, and everything else important in life.

1) Know your audience. People is focused on celebrities and rarely gets a story wrong.

2) Keep it simple. People is about pictures and easy to understand storylines.

3) The original target was women 18-34. As the target demo shifted and lifestyles changed, the content of People adjusted.

Let’s connect the dots in our programming, sales, and sales management world.

1) Are you in step with your audience? Listeners, and advertisers are all part of a dynamic environment. What’s in your planner that forces you to know the “audience” you sell or market to?

2) Do you keep your proposals simple and easy to understand? Fast and focused is the name of the game.

Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.

Industry News

iHM San Francisco Names Cortese and Farber VPs of Sales

By TALKERS | January 29, 2024January 29, 2024 by TALKERS

iHeartMedia San Francisco names Nicole Cortese and Todd Farber vice presidents of sales for the Bay Area, effective immediately. Cortese most recently served with Amazon Web Services in the cloud sales division. Farber was most recently an executive director in sales at The Walt Disney Company and ABC. iHeartMedia SVP of sales Joe Donnarumma says, “Nicole’s extensive expertise and Todd’s strategic acumen, paired with their proven leadership in navigating the Bay Area’s competitive landscape, make them ideally suited to lead our sales teams toward greater success.” iHM San Francisco region president AJ Punjabi adds, “Bringing Nicole and Todd on board reinforces our mission to innovate and excel. Their fresh approaches are key to elevating our position as a leader in the evolving landscape of audio and digital media.”

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

By TALKERS | January 29, 2024 by TALKERS

Audacy files applications for entry of an order authorizing the retention and employment of four firms with the bankruptcy court. Those include Porter Hedges LLP as co-counsel for the debtors, FTI Consulting Inc as financial advisor to the debtors, PJT Partners LP as investment banker to the debtors, and Latham & Watkins LLP as bankruptcy co-counsel for the debtors and debtors in possession.

Benztown, P1 Media Group, and Global Radio Ideas Facebook Group are hosting a free webinar for radio professionals around the globe, titled, “How Radio Talent Can Survive and Thrive in 2024.” It features special guest Paul Anderson, CEO of Workhouse Media. The 40-minute webinar will be hosted by Benztown CEO Andreas Sannemann and P1 Media Group partner Ken Benson. Get more info and register here.

AUN Television Network president and CEO Rick Trader announces the launch of a 12-part special designed to educate Americans about the Constitution and its amendments. Titled, “Our Country, Our Freedoms, Our Constitution: Lessons for Freedom,” the programs debut on February 4 across the network and its 11 broadcast television stations.

New England Public Media unveils a new, weekly radio show and podcast called, “The Rundown with Carrie Saldo,” that premieres Friday (2/2) 9:00 am to 10:00 am following NPR’s “Morning Edition” on WFCR-FM, Amherst, Massachusetts “88.5 NEPM.” The station says, “Each week, listeners will hear a lively conversation with reporters from newsrooms around western Massachusetts, giving their take on the news and events that shaped the week, and providing analysis, context, insights, and varying perspectives.”

Features

Remembering Charles Osgood

By TALKERS | January 24, 2024January 24, 2024 by TALKERS

By Mike Kinosian
TALKERS magazine
Managing Editor

Despite his seemingly nonchalant, bad boy on-air persona, David Letterman is exceptionally respectful of broadcasting and its history.

An easily discernable gleam could be seen in the late-night talk host’s eyes when – in 1993 – he formally announced he was jumping to CBS-TV.

One would be naïve not to think that the astonishingly lucrative payday played a significant part in his exhilaration, but Letterman was genuinely enthusiastic about joining the “Tiffany Network.” The entertainment division helped sculpt that vaulted reputation, but the Eye Network’s image was also greatly enhanced by its stellar news department.

Names of those who’ve graced CBS news broadcasts read like a veritable “Who’s Who” of the industry, with the incomparable Walter Cronkite at the very top.

Additionally, there’s Murrow. Sevareid. Collingwood. Rather. Reasoner. Wallace. Edwards. Kuralt. Safer. Mudd. Bradley. Schieffer. Stahl. Rooney. Burdett. Pauley. Hottelet. Chung. Threlkeld. O’Donnell. That just scratches the surface.

Perhaps no one on that – or any similar – list is more erudite, witty and thought provoking than Charles Osgood (Wood).

In a special April 18, 2005 NAB presentation in Las Vegas, the man who did as much for boosting bowtie sales (far pre-dating Tucker Carlson) received the Paul White Award from the RTNDA.

Established in 1956, the recognition carries on the name of CBS’ first news director.

Illustrious company

Past Paul White Award recipients have included Edward R. Murrow, Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Ed Bradley, Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Peter Jennings, and Jane Pauley, who succeeded Osgood on CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning” in 2016. Osgood humbly noted, “I’ve known about the Paul White Award for a long time and have been there to see others get it. It’s obviously a very distinguished company I join. I was there when [former CBS News Division President] Richard Salant [received] it and certainly regard it with a lot of respect. If you hang around long enough, it finally gets to be your turn.”

There’s a parallel with this recognition and Osgood’s 1990 induction to the NAB Hall of Fame. “[Neither] one is the kind of thing you campaign for,” he remarked. “The first I heard about it is when they called and told me it happened. There’s no tension about it and no disappointment that you didn’t get it.”

Mistaken identity

Rich, God-given voice with which Osgood was blessed became evident at an early age. “My dad was a textile salesman and executive. His name was Charles Osgood Wood – I’m actually Charles Osgood Wood, the third. I’d answer the phone and the person on the other end would [automatically assume they were talking to my father]. He and I talked almost exactly alike.”

Somewhat of a built-in schizophrenia existed in the famed broadcaster. A friend with whom he’d frequently play tennis noticed that when the multiple Peabody and Emmy Award winner screwed up he’d say, “Come on Osgood.” As a result, “I’d be harder on ‘Osgood’ than I would be on ‘Wood.’ You don’t talk to yourself when you do something right – you just sort of smile.”

Distinctive difference

Understandably, the natural tendency was to automatically link the instantly likable Osgood to CBS for his impeccable long-running role as voice/writer of CBS Radio’s “The Osgood File” and for hosting duties of CBS-TV’s “Sunday Morning.” In addition, he spent six years (1981-1987) as anchor of “The CBS Sunday Night News.”

Many, however, forget that predating those résumé credits, he toiled for ABC.

When he began there, ABC – as luck would have it – already had an announcer named Charles Woods. “In those days, some staff announcers did newscasts,” Osgood explained. “They hired me, but said they didn’t want to have a Charles Woods and a Charles Wood. When they told me to pick a name, I used my middle name as my last name. It’s worked out well and is a little more distinctive and professional.”

Safe haven

Selection of another type made a great impact on his life, as the broadcaster with the industry’s most stylish writing style was an Economics major at New York’s Fordham University. “I never really had an idea that this is what I was cut out to do,” Osgood candidly stated. “As a result, I never took any writing or editing courses. When I started [in broadcasting], I really hung on by my fingernails and just did it the best way I could think of. It took more than a couple of years to get a sense of what I could do. If I’d started the kinds of things in journalism school that I do now, they would have said, ‘No – that’s not how you do it.’ I would have had it drummed out of me early on.”

Thankfully though, someone realized a broadcaster existed within Osgood and the New York native became actively involved at Fordham’s campus radio station. “That was my locker – the place I’d go between classes,” he pointed out. “At least in those days, regardless of your [declared major], you really majored in Philosophy. You learned things like ethics, logic and cosmology. That really turned out to be pretty useful for what I’m doing.”

Never was there a moment’s regret for the father of five that he didn’t pursue a career in economics. “I’m not even sure I understood what economics was when I decided to make it my major,” Osgood sheepishly admitted. “I knew it had something to do with money and I thought it would be good to know something about that.”

Sailing with Uncle Walter

As things eventuated, it was immaterial that Osgood never took any college journalism courses. “I went to the best school of broadcast journalism that you could go to, [because] I got to work with Walter Cronkite and a pretty potent lineup of [other] people,” Osgood asserted. “I was often in the same room and could see how Walter’s mind worked and his idea of telling a story. He’s the most centered guy you’re ever going to meet and is very tough.”

Fabled anchorman Cronkite was also managing editor of “The CBS Evening News,” a responsibility he took very seriously. “He was a newsman and kept asking questions of everybody; I have all the respect in the world for him,” Osgood reverently recalled of Cronkite, who was 92 when he died in 2009. “Within a year after I went to work in the CBS newsroom, I found myself sailing in a boat with Walter Cronkite. I felt like I died and went to heaven.”

Mid-1950s on-air job at Washington, DC classical outlet WGMS enabled Osgood to display his familiarity with – and dexterity to handle – names like Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakoff. “I really did like that kind of music,” the long time ASCAP member emphasized. “They [eventually] gave me a job that was like the assistant to the GM. It paid all of about $25 a week, but I learned a little bit about station management. WGMS was sold to RKO General and I ended up being program director and, for a time, co-manager.”

Ahead of its time

Also dotting Osgood’s notable vitae is a 1963 stint as general manager of Hartford’s WHCT, the country’s first pay television station. “It was an over-the-air station that CBS owned at one time. It had a mechanism that would encode both picture and sound.”

Subscribers paid $125 for a decoder that needed to be attached to their television set; however, Osgood readily conceded it wasn’t exactly the ideal system. “Color was starting to come on strong, but this only worked in black and white, [so] we had a few strikes against us going in. We were, however, able to play ‘subsequent first-run’ movies – [films] that hadn’t yet been seen in local theaters.”

A tape inside the decoder recorded what a subscriber watched and customers were sent a bill once a month. “The system as an experiment failed, but it was not a bad idea,” Osgood maintained. “Now, of course, we have pay-per-view television, which is essentially the same thing.”

Shared versus singular responsibilities

Each Osgood-fronted “Sunday Morning” broadcast concluded with the affable host reminding viewers that he would, “See you on the radio,” which was his way of reinforcing that radio is a visual medium. “You create pictures in your own mind and those are much richer than the ones that can be shown on television,” Osgood contended. “On television, what you see is what you get and [that medium] is very pre-occupied with the picture. There’s often wonderful writing there, but television people don’t tend to think about that or the sound at all.”

Images are their main focus and having had vast experience in each medium, Osgood opined that radio is a much more individual effort. “You decide what you’re going to do; you write it; and you do it. You can take all the credit or blame for whatever you do on radio. Television is a collaborative process. There are producers, writers and photographers. One person really can’t take any bows.”

Demanding schedule

One hour separated each of his four daily “Osgood File” features. The general rule was that Osgood didn’t start writing the next one until he finished delivering the last. “If it takes more than an hour, I’m in a lot of trouble,” he deadpanned. “I have to write it in somewhat less than an hour.”

Preparation for that Monday through Friday workday ritual began at the petrifying time of 2:30 am. “It somehow always feels like a horrible mistake when the alarm goes off then,” Osgood declared in his perfectly inflected trademark delivery. “I’m usually in the office at 4:30 am. I have to get my ducks in a row before [doing the first piece] so I know what I’m going to do the rest of the morning. You spend part of that time reading to see what’s there in the way of tape and to see what news stories are of interest that morning.”

Newspapers, wire sources and the internet provided plenty of possibilities, so Osgood didn’t start worrying about what he was going to put on paper until he arrived at the office. “The news is a constantly refreshing source of material,” he commented. “If you’re doing something that has to last for a long time, you have a different problem. It’s just a question of what you can get your teeth into.”

Road to Sunday Morning

Four-year tour of duty (1967 – 1971) as morning anchor/reporter at New York City’s all-news WCBS-AM got Osgood accustomed to getting up early; he had the luxury of sleeping in until 4:30 am each Sunday. “You have no idea how much later 4:30 am is than 2:30 am,” he convincingly put forth. “I don’t have to get up early on Saturdays. There are [‘Osgood File’] shows, but they’re repeats of things that were done during the week. It’s a great delight to wake up on a Saturday and then realize I can go back to sleep, but it’s still never that late. I get up by 7:00 am.”

Energetic Osgood actually preferred a slow news day when it came to doing his 90-minute Sunday television broadcast. “I’m certain I’m the only network TV anchor who hopes there’s no news. We’ve worked on the show all week and want to do the broadcast that was planned. Some of our shows have themes or, at least, have connections between the pieces. If there’s a big story, you might have to throw something out and that may – or may not – hold up the following week.”

Succeeding Charles Kuralt as host of “Sunday Morning” nearly 30 years ago (4/10/1994) was a tough act for Osgood to follow, especially since he viewed “On The Road” legend Kuralt as a great personal hero. “He was one of the best who ever came along,” Osgood succinctly stressed. “Charles was a country boy with that wonderful North Carolina accent and had a way of using the language. I thought he was simply terrific. He taught me a lot, [including] not to imitate or copy what you hear. He was in control of every sentence he put down and had an idea of how he wanted to come across to the audience; he was really brilliant.”

Admiration for his predecessor

No advance notice was given to Osgood that his colleague – who would die of complications from lupus in 1997 at just 62 – was planning to leave the Sunday morning show. “I remember getting up one day at the usual hour and putting on my socks in a dark room,” Osgood recollected. “I had the radio on and heard Charlie had announced his retirement. That was terrible news and it never even occurred to me that CBS might ask me to replace him. For one thing, I was older than Charles [by approximately 20 months]. You don’t replace a person who retires with someone older, but that’s what happened. The real reason I got the job was they needed someone whose first name is Charles.”

Sunday’s audience was conditioned to expect a high-level broadcast, and Osgood acknowledged that made the transition much easier. “As long as I didn’t try to be Charles and try to do an imitation of him, I thought I’d be okay [provided] the audience would put up with me long enough to get used to me.”

Certain things about the CBS-TV show were the same every week. “When we change something, the audience usually doesn’t like it at first,” Osgood contended. “It was especially daunting for me at the beginning because [Kuralt] was so terrific.”

All tied up

Play a visual word association game about Osgood and “bowtie” will invariably be the first response, but he viewed that fashion statement as a relatively new choice. “I’ve only been doing it for 20 years,” he quipped tongue-in-cheek.

It all began when he wore a clip-on bowtie to work one day. CBS-TV “Evening News” writer John Mosedale admonished Osgood to never wear a clip-on. “He actually walked me into the men’s room and taught me how to tie a bowtie. When you teach an old dog a new trick, he wants to keep doing it. I wear a bowtie when I do speaking dates or television. The excuse I use for my attire is that I get dressed in the dark.”

Write stuff

This author of six books (the last one, 2004’s “Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack”) also formerly wrote a “USA Weekend” column and a King Features’ syndicated column. Moreover, he had a full plate with four daily CBS Radio shows (via Westwood One) and a weekly morning television show. “I always have a book that I’m either thinking about or actually in the process of writing,” CBS’ “Poet In Residence’ disclosed. “I’ve been talking with publishers about several book ideas, but they’re not far enough along to really [discuss] at this point. The [leisure time] thing I do more than anything else is fooling around at the piano; I like doing that.”

Unexpected situations like receiving the Paul White Award; being inducted into the NAB Hall Of Fame; and replacing Charles Kuralt as host of CBS Sunday Morning seemed to be the norm for the 1999 International Radio & Television Society Foundation award winner for Significant Achievement.

Long-range plans

With that as a backdrop, it was noteworthy that Osgood never considered himself to be a permanent replacement for Dan Rather on the “CBS Evening News” – a job that would eventually go to Katie Couric in 2006. “I’m not a candidate for anything,” Osgood vehemently insisted to me in our conversation, “[although] I do think it’s important that the ‘CBS Evening News’ be our flagship show. When they asked Bob Schieffer what he thought about doing ‘The Evening News,’ he said it was something to keep him busy until he was old enough to be on ‘60 Minutes.’”

More than satisfied to have carried on with his radio and television assignments, Osgood – who had a summer residence in France – didn’t look forward to retirement. “I like vacations, but I like them because they are vacations. It’s nice to get away from work, but that’s only if you’re working. I hope they realize I intend to continue to do this for a long time. If it stops being fun, that’s when it’s time to hang it up.”

Mike Kinosian can be emailed at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Industry Views

SABO SEZ: City to Town – A Perspective on Trump Voters

By TALKERS | January 18, 2024 by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media Implementers
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network

Acknowledging that this publication is fiercely non-partisan and that I – in my role as a broadcaster – am basically the same, I offer the following, not as a political opinion piece, but rather a personal observation based on experience that might shed light on the deeper nature of a large segment of the American population prone to listen to talk radio.

A few years ago, I moved from Manhattan to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Geraldo Rivera made the same journey for the same reason; our wives went to Shaker High. In our brides’ minds, that’s enough reason to return.

During the period of the Donald Trump presidency, a new phenomenon was sweeping the East and West Coasts: People who did not vote for Trump demonized and marginalized those who did. Lifelong friendships were ended by anti-Trump individuals who merely suspected a friend was pro-Trump, often with little evidence. Celebrities threatened to leave the country if Trump became or remained president. They would flee to Canada, without any consideration of whether or not Canadians wanted them!

At first, I would ask anti-Trump people if they had actually voted for Hillary Clinton? That question was inevitably met with an icy glare, but no answer. They hadn’t. Anti-Trumpers were seething, ignited by their guilt that they assumed Clinton would win and therefore making their voting participation unnecessary. What else could explain the fevered emotion against a president – on his FIRST day in office? Trump hadn’t done anything to anger Scarlett Johansson into leading an angry insurrection mob. But she did. Day one.

Living in Ohio, I have spent time with hundreds of Trump voters and learned something valuable. Trump supporters do not match the level of passion in support of the president as those who hate him. Not even close. The disparity is stunning.

No Trump voter has threatened to leave the country if a Democrat wins. No Trump voter has said, “I hate all Biden voters, I wish they would die,” as Howard Stern has said about them. No Trump voter refuses to befriend a Joe Biden voter just because, hey, if we’re friends we are friends.

Yes, Trump voters go to the polls for him because of – his policies. And what are those? The Ohio parents and workers I know matter-of-factly want Trump first and foremost so they can afford gasoline and heating oil. When the price of gas went up, parents had to cut down on after school activities, school competitions and distant playdates, they just couldn’t afford the trip. They can’t hop on the bus to Chelsea Piers. They don’t care if it’s Trump specifically, they just want cheaper gas – sir can you do that?

Next, they vote for the candidate who will support safe neighborhoods, cheaper meat, cheaper milk, their kid in the Marines home for the holidays, Israel, better schools.

I learned this from parents waiting for dance class and band practice to end. Patient parents proud of their kids. They weren’t chanting for Trump or bashing Biden. They just want enough gas to get home.

I’ve learned that many people who hate Trump voters do so while getting into an Uber, a taxi, bus, or subway. They don’t own a car. They buy food for one, not for five times seven days a week. They don’t have to go to three different food stores to get the cheapest items… they just hit Food Emporium ($6.98 a gallon of milk). In Ohio, $2.29 a gallon, Walmart.

Of course, there are other issues swirling around Trump and Biden – but right now most deplorable Ohioans have to pick up the kid at school on time, let their child buy one toy at Dollar Tree, I said one, and hope there is enough spaghetti for dinner.

Walter Sabo was a founding architect of SiriusXM and began the recruitment of Howard Stern. He has consulted RKO General, PARADE magazine, Hearst Broadcasting, Press Broadcasting, and other premium brands. He launched the first company to engage online video influencers, Hitviews. As an executive, he was EVP of NBC FM RADIO giving Dr. Ruth Westheimer her first media job and fostering the creation of adult contemporary. As VP ABC Radio Networks, Sabo hired Ringo Starr to be a DJ for a 24-hour special.

Industry News

Spike Eskin to Return to Philly as WIP PM Drive Co-Host

By TALKERS | January 17, 2024January 17, 2024 by TALKERS

Audacy announces that Spike Eskin will return to sports talk WIP-FM, Philadelphia “SportsRadio 94WIP” as afternoon drive co-host alongside Ike Reese and on-air producer Jack Fritz. Eskin will leave his current position as vice president of programming for WFAN, New York and CBS Sports Radio and re-join WIP once a successor is named. Audacy says a nationwide search is currently underway. The WIP co-host position opened after Jon Marks announced his exit from the station for personal reasons in December. Audacy Philadelphia SVP and market manager David Yadgaroff says, “We’re very excited to bring Spike home to Philadelphia and SportsRadio 94WIP. This is a unique opportunity to add a great talent with a long history in our marketplace to one of our most popular dayparts, and we’re looking forward to having Spike reunite with his longtime friend and colleague Ike Reese and Jack Fritz to shape the future of afternoon drive at WIP.” Eskin comments, “I am thrilled to be able to work with Ike and Jack in afternoons at 94WIP. It’s now the third job of a lifetime I’ve had the opportunity to do. Leaving WFAN and CBS Sports Radio is an incredibly difficult decision. I’m surrounded by talented, great people, and it’s been an amazing experience. I’d like to thank David Yadgaroff, Jeff Sottolano and Rod Lakin for this opportunity, and Chris Oliviero for my time in New York.”

Industry Views

CES2024: AI, Sustainability, “TV,” Inclusivity

By TALKERS | January 11, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

After 4G enabled Uber and other apps now-common, inventors are flexing 5G. And grab-the-armrest for what 6G and 7G will bring. Just when we’re blasé about Wi-Fi, we are told that Li-Fi will use light to transmit data.

Artificial Intelligence? ChatGPT was training wheels. AI’s impact is just beginning to unfold. As it does, Consumer Technology Association research points to concerns over privacy, disinformation, safety, and job loss. 74% believe the federal government should regulate AI safety.

Sustainability is huge here: Solar panels – some are small foil strips — will replace batteries in many applications. And we’re seeing a cube-shaped portable inflatable “smartfarm” that can grow produce anywhere.

What we used to call “a television” becomes the Intelligent Hub for your home, connecting with appliances, security cameras, and thermal imaging for tele-health. It’s an e-commerce platform, like your smartphone… interactive – like betting on live games – and with immersive experiences Netflix is rolling out.

Inclusivity is big business at CES: We’re seeing hearable glasses for people who are vision AND hearing impaired, including some “chic” designs. And lots of tech here helps us as we age. With women’s health a $1.2 trillion market, mattress sensors can trigger cooling during menopause. And Artificial Intelligence will bring drug discovery breakthroughs.

I’m reporting for TALKERS readers, every day this week. Help yourself to today’s report here: http://getonthenet.com/CES2024-Thursday.mp3. It can air until Friday. And I’ll be posting daily 60-second reports you can download at HollandCooke.com.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. He is the author of “Close Like Crazy: Local Direct Leads, Pitches & Specs That Earned the Benjamins” and “Confidential: Negotiation Checklist for Weekend Talk Radio.” Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

By TALKERS | January 11, 2024 by TALKERS

Audacy sports talk KRLD-FM, Dallas-Fort Worth “105.3 The Fan” announces a multi-year extension to its flagship broadcast and digital partnership with the MLB’s world-champion Texas Rangers through 2027. As part of the extended partnership, English broadcasts of Rangers baseball will continue to be heard on “105.3 The Fan” and streamed digitally via the Audacy app for fans within the Rangers broadcast territory.

PodcastOne announces the January 24 premiere of “Varnamtown,” a limited eight-episode true crime genre podcast from Epic Magazine, Picture Perfect Federation and Full Picture. Hosted by Golden Globe Award winning actor Kyle MacLachlan and investigative journalist Joshua Davis, the series tells the little-known story of a small fishing village in North Carolina that reputedly did a deal with drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Audacy and Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Podcasts announce the launch of “The Chris Chatman Do-Over,” an improvised comedy podcast series starring actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer Ike Barinholtz. In the series, Barinholtz plays controversial shock jock Chris Chatman striving to improve his reputation after his hit podcast is canceled. Guest stars include Fred Armisen, Ashley Nicole Black, Jessica St. Clair, Ego Nwodim, Busy Philipps, and Alice Stanley, Jr.

iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God announce that the podcast “Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts” joins The Black Effect Podcast Network. Charlamagne Tha God says, “The way she is able to showcase the intersectionality between GOD, faith, the word and how to navigate our mental health is extremely powerful. It is a privilege and honor to partner with ‘Woman Evolve’ and assist in amplifying her life changing messages.”

AdLarge announces today that “Infertile AF” has joined the company’s podcast portfolio. The program is hosted by New Jersey-based journalist, author and mother of two, Ali Prato, who keeps it “very real” while diving into the messy, frustrating, painful, absurd and sometimes humorous journey to have a baby. Or in some cases, to not have a baby.

The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation extends the deadline to submit entries for the 49th Annual Gracie Awards through January 25 (11:59 pm ET). The regular deadline, with no additional fee, is January 18 (11:59 pm ET). The Gracie Awards, presented by AWMF, has recognized programming and individual achievement by women across all media for nearly five decades. Submissions from television, streaming, radio, audio, and digital media are encouraged.

Industry Views

CES2024: Tech Trends Research Revealed

By TALKERS | January 10, 2024 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

Hello from Las Vegas, where your undaunted correspondent dutifully suffered the long, long line snaking through the ballroom corridors at Mandalay Bay for what is, each year, a data feast: the Consumer Technology Association’s “Tech Trends to Watch” presentation.

Appetizers:

– After 4G enabled Uber and other applications now common, inventors here are flexing 5G. And grab-the-armrest for what 6G and 7G will bring. Just when we’re blasé about Wi-Fi, we’re told that Li-Fi will use light to transmit data.

– Artificial Intelligence: ChatGPT was training wheels. AI’s impact is just beginning to unfold. As it does, CTA research points to consumer concerns over privacy, disinformation, safety, and job loss. 74% believe the federal government should regulate AI safety.

– Sustainability: Solar panels of all shapes and sizes will replace batteries in many applications. A foil strip on your dog’s collar powers the tag you use to call him from your smartphone. And we’re seeing an inflatable portable smartfarm.

– Inclusivity: Fitness trackers for the wheelchair-bound. Hearable glasses for those vision AND hearing impaired, “chic” designs. Lots of tech for the aging, including…

– Health + Wellness: With women’s health a $1.2 trillion USA market, mattress sensors trigger cooling during menopause. AI will bring drug discovery breakthroughs.

– Mobility: EV goes marine with the Mercury 30E outboard. We’re seeing E-bikes and construction equipment. Critical issues: peace-of-mind about battery range and quicker charging, and “values” choices about using less gasoline.

– TV becomes the Intelligent Hub for your home, connecting with appliances, security cameras, and thermal imaging for tele-health. It’s an E-commerce platform “like a smartphone ecosystem.” More interactive (betting on live games), and immersive experiences Netflix will roll-out.

– Audio? CTA research points to a “rising growth in older podcast listeners:” and how podcasters will monetize superfans.

Here’s the entrée (I hope you’re hungry):

https://cdn.ces.tech/ces/media/pdfs/2024/ces-tech-trends-preso.pdf

I’m reporting for TALKERS readers, every day this week. Help yourself to today’s report here: http://getonthenet.com/CES2024-Wednesday.mp3. It can air until Friday. And I’ll be posting daily 60-second reports you can download at HollandCooke.com.

Industry News

Brewer Media to Sell Two Chattanooga Signals to Religious Broadcaster

By TALKERS | January 9, 2024 by TALKERS

According to the Times-Free Press, Brewer Media is committed to selling sports talk WALV-FM “ESPN Chattanooga” and FM translator W295BI at 106.9 to Lakeland, Florida-based Radio Training Network for $900,000. Brewer sold two other signals to American Family Association in 2021. Company VP Kira Brewer Headlee tells the paper, “Just like any other business, we have to evaluate our operations and make upgrades and changes in our missions.” The company is also planning to move from its current downtown Chattanooga office space to a smaller space in East Brainerd. See the Times-Free Press story here.

Features

“The Greatest Game Ever Played”

By TALKERS | January 5, 2024 by TALKERS

Baltimore’s Alan Ameche plunges over the goal line for the winning touchdown!(courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!

By Mark Wainwright

It was one of those indelible moments in sports history: The 1958 NFL Championship, played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in sudden death overtime. 65 years later, the events of that Sunday afternoon still resonate throughout pro sports and sports media.

In 1958, the National Football League was far from the huge phenomenon we see today. Americans generally had much more interest in baseball, and during the Fall, college football captured the attention of sports fans on Saturday afternoons. The annual Army/Navy and Harvard/Yale clashes were national news stories, and fans followed the exploits of powerhouses like Notre Dame and Michigan. For most fans, pro football was an afterthought. Even in cities with pro franchises, the NFL clubs often played runner-up to the local baseball teams.

Baltimore and New York were two exceptions. The Colts were upstarts — Baltimore didn’t get an NFL team until 1953 — and the city quickly fell in love with the Colts; on game days, Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium was described as “the world’s largest outdoor insane asylum.” Meanwhile, the Giants had been part of the NFL since 1925, and they were considered the league’s most glamorous team, located in the world’s media capital. Two very different teams, both with passionate fan bases, playing a nationally-televised title game in New York City… indeed, America was destined to notice pro football that day.

Seventeen Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees were in the stadium that afternoon, along with a Heisman Trophy winner (Baltimore running back Alan Ameche). The Colts were led by quarterback Johnny Unitas and defensive end Gino Marchetti. The New York offense revolved around halfback Frank Gifford, while linebacker Sam Huff anchored the defense.

There were all-stars in the broadcast booths, as well. NBC’s national telecast was assigned to Chris Schenkel and Chuck Thompson; both of these gentlemen are now legends of their industry. Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan called the game for NBC’s national radio feed, while Les Keiter did the play-by-play for WCBS Radio in New York. And Bob Wolff did the radio call for Baltimore’s WBAL. Wolff was assisted by an eager teenager who worked as his spotter… a young man named Maury Povich (yes, that guy).

The first half, frankly, wasn’t anywhere near “greatest game” territory. While both defenses played fairly well, the offenses looked sloppy and disorganized, and the two teams combined for six turnovers in the first thirty minutes. The Giants managed only a Pat Summerall field goal, while the Colts — almost in spite of themselves — took a 14-3 lead into halftime. It could have easily been 17-3, but Sam Huff blocked a Baltimore field goal attempt.

So, what was the halftime entertainment? Over the years, Super Bowl halftimes have featured performers like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. What 1950’s superstars would perform in the “super bowl” of 1958? Elvis Presley? Brenda Lee, maybe? Nope. It was the Baltimore Colts Marching Band, with their prancing majorettes looking quite fetching in their red leotards and reindeer antlers…

The Baltimore Colts Marching Band majorettes, in “reindeer” mode! (courtesy YouTube/NFL Films)

Baltimore’s offensive woes continued into the second half. Early on, the Colts drove the ball to New York’s 1-yard line, but Alan Ameche was stopped for no gain on third down, then Ameche was tackled for a loss when he attempted to run wide on fourth down. In an interview decades later, Baltimore’s Lenny Moore revealed that Ameche botched the play; it was supposed to be an option pass, but Ameche didn’t hear Johnny Unitas’ signals correctly, and he ran instead of throwing a short pass to a wide open Colts receiver.

That goal-line stand awakened New York’s offense, and they needed only four plays to score their first touchdown to make it 14-10. The Giants then took a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter on a Frank Gifford touchdown reception, and while the Colts responded with two effective drives, they came up empty on both possessions; one ended with a missed field goal, the other ended when Unitas was sacked twice, taking the Colts out of scoring range. The Giants’ offense only needed a first down or two to ice the game, but Frank Gifford was stopped on a critical third down run. For decades, Gifford insisted he made the first down; Baltimore’s Gino Marchetti suffered a badly broken ankle in the pileup, and Gifford often said that amidst the chaos and confusion of tending to Marchetti’s injury, the officials did not spot the ball properly. However, when ESPN restored the footage for a 50th anniversary broadcast in 2008, an accident reconstruction expert analyzed the images and determined that Gifford was, indeed, just short of the first down (more about that ESPN program in our Epilogue). The Giants chose to punt the ball, and the Colts took over on their own 14-yard line.

This was the moment when Johnny Unitas began his ascent to legendary status. With just two minutes left, he moved the Colts downfield quickly. While there were several misfires, he made four critical completions, including three straight passes to his star receiver Raymond Berry. Those last three plays moved the ball 62 yards to the Giants’ 13-yard line, and with just seconds remaining, the Colts rushed Steve Myhra out to attempt a tying field goal. Myhra had struggled with field goal attempts all season, and Baltimore fans held their collective breath until the ball went through the uprights. The fourth quarter ended tied 17-17.

So… what happens next? Many of the players and coaches weren’t sure. It was not unusual for football games to end in a tie, but this game was for the NFL title. Would the teams be declared co-champions? Fortunately, the NFL had recently instituted an overtime rule for championships, and it would be decided on the field. The teams would play pure “sudden death.” The first team to score in any manner would win, and they would play for as long as it took.

The Giants won the toss and chose to receive, but they were not able to mount any kind of drive, and they punted the ball back to the Colts. Unitas now had all the time in the world, and Johnny U methodically moved the Baltimore offense to the New York 8-yard line. It was first-and-goal, and then, suddenly… the NBC Television feed disappeared! Nothing but snow on the screen!

This caused immediate panic in NBC’s control room, not to mention in homes across the nation, as viewers — particularly in Baltimore — bolted from their living rooms and scrambled to find the nearest radio. It was one of the worst possible moments to lose the live feed of a TV broadcast. And then…

A fan ran onto the field! Play was halted for nearly a full minute before New York’s Finest chased him down and escorted him to the sideline. Over the years, there has been endless rumor and speculation about this incident. Photographs show the fan was well-dressed and appeared very cooperative when the cops took him away; he certainly didn’t look like a drunken lout. Who was this guy?

Whoever he was, he is now the stuff of sports broadcasting legend. More than six decades later, it is widely believed that he was an NBC employee who realized the broadcast was interrupted and ran onto the field — or perhaps was told to run onto the field — to delay the game long enough to give the TV crew enough time to find a loose cable and fix the connection. As far as I know, he was never identified and the story has never been confirmed. One hopes the fellow received a bonus and a promotion for his quick thinking!

When the game resumed, the Colts ran two plays to reach third-and-goal from just over a yard away. A field goal attempt might have been the obvious choice, but Baltimore coach Weeb Ewbank was leery of sending a struggling Steve Myhra in to kick. Meanwhile, the coach trusted Unitas completely, and he left Johnny U and the offense on the field. A routine handoff to Alan Ameche secured a 23-17 Baltimore victory.

The game was breaking news nationwide. It was a big topic of Sunday afternoon dinner conversations, and it was headline news on front pages and in sports sections the following day. NFL and television executives soon realized that professional football could become a very valuable property, and they started making plans for increasing television coverage and boosting marketing exposure for the teams, the star players, and the sport overall. And down in Dallas, Lamar Hunt — a son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt — started thinking about owning his own football team. Those dreams eventually led to his role in establishing the rival American Football League, which merged with the NFL just over a decade later. Historians and sportswriters have studied the 1958 title game, and they generally agree that event was the start of professional football growing into the colossus it has since become. It was the aftermath and the impact — as much as the drama of the game itself — that led them to calling it “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

*************************************************************************************************************

EPILOGUE

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, television did not put a high priority on archiving sports events back then. There is no known videotape of the game; videotape was in its infancy, and while NBC presumably had one or two of the early machines available, it seems nobody bothered racking them up. There is no known kinescope film recording of the television broadcast, either. Fortunately, there was plenty of film footage of the game, both from overhead and from sideline views. This footage was shot by NFL Films, as well as various newsreel cameramen working for different organizations.

On the 50th anniversary of the game in 2008, ESPN produced a special documentary that used the old footage to re-create much of the action. The historic clips were colorized for broadcast, and the action was interspersed with comments and memories from players, fans, and broadcasters who were there. (Sadly, many of these gentlemen have passed away in the fifteen years since.) Most of Bob Wolff’s Baltimore radio broadcast was saved, and the NBC national radio call was saved almost in entirety. This historic audio was used in conjunction with the preserved video. Several versions of the ESPN special can be found on YouTube; here is a link to one of those.

Others have collaborated on an almost-complete reconstruction of the game, using the original newsreel and NFL footage, some of the colorized ESPN content, stock footage, and still photos. The audio portion uses the NBC national radio call by Joe Bolan and Bill McColgan (complete with vintage commercials!). There are several uploads of this project on YouTube, and there is also a version on the Internet Archive, available here. If you’ve never seen any of “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” punch it up on your laptop and enjoy!

Mark Wainwright is a long-time radio personality and voiceover performer. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse; he is also a Baltimore native and life-long Baltimore Colts fan (and he still hasn’t gotten over the Colts leaving town and moving to Indianapolis decades ago!). He can be reached at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Industry News

John Kentera Exits 97.3 FM The Fan

By TALKERS | December 22, 2023 by TALKERS

The San Diego Union-Tribune’s John Maffei reports that KWFN-FM, San Diego “97.3 The Fan” midday host John Kentera is exiting the station after his Friday (12/22) program. Kentera tells the paper he was told by Audacy management he’s being let go as the company is looking for a change in middays and wants a “less caller-driven show.” Kentera adds, “I prepare like crazy, I think my show is good, well-received, so I was stunned when I was told I was being fired.” The 65-year-old Kentera has been in radio for 40 years, the last four with KWFN-FM and says he does not plan to retire. “I’m going to look for an opportunity in sports… in or out of the radio business. I’m not done yet.” Read the Union-Tribune story here.

Industry News

Craig Humphreys Retires from OKC’s “Sports Animal”

By TALKERS | December 21, 2023 by TALKERS

The Oklahoman reports that today (12/21) was the last day on the air for Oklahoma City sports talk personality Craig Humphreys on WWLS-FM “The Sports Animal,” where he’s been broadcasting for more than 30 years. The 71-year-old Humphreys has planned to retire for some time, and he tells the paper that he and his wife Bev, who’s battling cancer, want to spend more time together. Humphreys’ career in OKC sports talk is one that parallels the growth of sports radio in the U.S. Interestingly, he and FOX Sports’ Skip Bayless are boyhood friends who remain close to this day. Read the Oklahoman story here.

Features

Ladd Have Mercy

By TALKERS | December 20, 2023 by TALKERS

LOS ANGELES – As students, enthusiasts and caretakers of this wonderful medium, we’re keenly aware that radio’s “Golden Age” boasted an incredible array of entertainers and broadcasters.

With lifestyles, technology and society being what they are today, it’s almost inconceivable to imagine that families would actually gather around the radio and attentively listen – and indeed hang onto – each and every word that emanated from that mysterious entertainment-laden box sitting in the living room.

Fundamentally important back then, of course, was a concept known as “Theater Of The Mind.”

No one embodied and personified it better than one of the bigger-than-life talents of that era: Orson Welles.

Most are familiar with his epic “War Of The Worlds.”

Pictures Set In Songs

The list of other outstanding “Mercury Theater” presentations Welles was responsible for is much too lengthy to cite here, but his legendary “Theater Of The Mind” mystique lived on nightly in Los Angeles, where Jim Ladd was a welcome guest for Southern California listeners dating back to 1969 and hosted a regular show on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks channel the past 11 years.

Theater Of The Mind so perfectly describes what Ladd tried to do, although it’s not radio drama in the pure sense. “What I [attempt] at night is to show you pictures and do that by playing sets of songs,” the (then) highly popular KLOS-FM, Los Angeles 10:00 pm – 2:00 am personality remarked to me. “If you follow the lyric content of each song, as well as the song’s emotional feel, it should tell you a story with a beginning, middle and end. Thus, it’s theater.”

Throwback To Creativity

In addition to providing his special spin to Theater Of The Mind, Ladd was also responsible for keeping another bit of radio history on life-support.

Most air personalities are required to adhere to strictly enforced music lists, but Ladd’s nightly, four-hour, Los Angeles air-shift was a throwback to the days of “free-form” radio.

The result was similar to what existed in April 1967, when a new phenomenon started taking shape. “That was the beginning of FM and this multi-billion dollar industry,” Ladd recalled. “[Free-form] started on a station [KMPX, San Francisco] where the phone was literally disconnected, because they couldn’t pay the bill. [Tom Donahue] had an idea; he went there and it took off. For a while before deregulation, that’s what all FM radio did in any market. Free-form worked great, until they killed the golden goose.”

Right Place, Right Time

Southern California native Ladd was extremely fortunate to have been able to launch his radio career in the country’s second-largest market. “Part of it was timing,” he admitted. “I was at a little station in Long Beach [KNAC-FM] that decided it was going to try this new, hippie, underground thing. They didn’t know what it was, but [the feeling was to] hire some hippies and see if they could make some money with it. I happened to be right there at that time.”

A frustrated musician, who wanted to be a songwriter, Ladd recounted a life-altering conversation he and a buddy had in a car. “My friend said that I should be in radio. I was 19 or 20 at the time and your friends at that age seldom notice anything but themselves. For some reason, that stuck with me. Thank God, FM was in its infancy and they’d take complete novices like me off the street and give us shows. Owners didn’t know anything about the Grateful Dead or The Who, but we did.”

Check Mate

Instead of walking into a studio and following a computer-generated music log, Ladd was given freedom to use his imagination. His only preparation was what was happening in life.

Resulting sharp, clever music sets he composed weren’t written out in advance. “The way I work is to turn the music up loud and get the song working on me,” he commented. “Once [that happens], it keys in my mind what will fit next.”

Such an intricate process included a mental checklist. “I’ve figured out the lyrics will work, but I need to know how the song I’m playing ends and how the next song begins,” he explained. “If I’m playing a balls-out rocker, I can’t go into some acoustic piece. In that way, it’s really like a chess game. I have to plan these things to start every single segue as I’m doing it. That’s the way that works best for me.”

There were nights, however, that Ladd knew that he “[didn’t] have it,” but as he maintained, “I’ve been doing it long enough to put on a good professional show. Sometimes, I don’t have what I’m striving for, which is to make a connection with the audience. Without having to prompt them or explain anything, my audience lights up the phones. They call because they get what I’m doing. Once that connection is made, then look out, because the rocket is taking off.”

Gracefully Handling The Tragedy

Recalling the horrific September 11, 2001 “Attack On America,” Ladd noted that although it was one of the country’s greatest tragedies, “It was easy to immerse myself into something like that. It so moved me that I had no problem thinking of songs to play or what I wanted to say.”

Judy Collins’ version of “Amazing Grace” was the first song he played when he went on the air that night. “Believe it or not, it set the tone for what I did for … the next two weeks.”

As it usually did, the audience – even or perhaps especially in this painful period – stepped up to the plate. “This is the thing about free-form radio that’s so precious to me,” Ladd emphasized. “Nobody called me on 9/11 with an idiot request. When I played sets of 9/11 songs, everybody was calling in with [appropriate] suggestions. Second only to dealing with the tragedy, the hardest part was to know when I could play groups like AC/DC again. I found that very difficult; you can only feel your way through it.”

Loyal Listeners

In his third tour of duty at (then ABC-owned) classic rocker KLOS, Ladd was a legitimate cult figure in the Southland for his work at legendary cross-town rocker KMET.

Southern California listeners were stunned on Valentine’s Day 1987 when the “The Mighty Met” (now Audacy smooth AC KTWV) – became smooth jazz “The Wave.”

Also on Ladd’s impressive resume were stints at Los Angeles outlets KLSX and KEDG.

The notion of an air personality “connecting” with the audience is both elementary and elusive. Ladd was a rare case of a non-drive time music personality who amassed a loyal, vocal following.

Grateful for such audience allegiance, Ladd didn’t take it for granted. “My audience has been that loyal from KMET to KLOS and all the [other] stations in between. My part of the bargain is that I won’t lie to them or let them down by doing a format. I was off the air twice in my career for two years each. That was very difficult, but because I did that, I’ve earned the right to do this and I think the audience responds to that.”

Offered jobs by stations that wanted the “Jim Ladd” name, he opined, “They didn’t understand what that meant. They thought they could just plug in my name, not let me do what I did and it would be the same thing.”

Your Attention Please

Evenings and nights were Ladd’s domain throughout his career. “I wouldn’t want to do middays or afternoon drive,” pointed out the personality known for his “Lord have mercy” exclamations. “Listening habits are such that you can’t sit and listen like you can at night. People are working, picking up the kids and doing life.”

Much like Welles’ Mercury Theater, Ladd’s show required attention. Otherwise, it was just like playing one song after another, without making that all-important connection. “The audience’s side of the bargain is that they have to bring their attention to the show,” he insisted. “I’ve done [6:00 pm – 10:00 pm] in my career and that worked out very well. The show is a bit different, in that, it’s not quite as eclectic. I don’t know if I’d be playing Judy Collins and Johnny Cash in [that time]; maybe – but maybe not.”

Convinced his free-form style could be utilized elsewhere, Ladd, nevertheless, pondered that to his knowledge, “I’m the Alamo – the last guy standing. That’s certainly the case in a major market. The big tragedy is that there are so many talented [personalities] who, although they wouldn’t do the same show that I do, could do free-form radio. We’re losing all that talent. I’m not the only guy in the world who can do it. I’m the one who was stubborn enough to say that I won’t follow a list – I just won’t do it.”

Powerful Trinity

Among those who influenced Ladd’s on-air style were former MTV personality and ex-KEDG program director J.J. Jackson; veteran Los Angeles air talent Raechel Donahue, who went on to do 7:00 pm -12:00 midnight in Denver at KQMT “The Mountain”; longtime KMET personality the late B. Mitchel Reed; KMET’s Pat Kelley; Cynthia Fox; Jack Snyder; and the late, underrated Mary Turner. “The wonderful, beautiful part of free-form radio – and most importantly – at KMET was that it wasn’t about being a star,” Ladd asserted. “What we were doing was our part of the ‘social revolution’ at the time. It was like a triad: The people on the street, the music, and us. We took the message of Dr. [Martin Luther] King and combined it with the music of Bob Dylan.”

One highly significant aspect in noting those former KMET staffers was that they’d each listen to everyone else’s show and it elevated their own game. “I’d hear Cynthia do a great segue, or Mary would do a great segment and that would inspire me,” Ladd enthused. “What I miss most is that kind of camaraderie – it’s just me now. I can’t tune in to hear someone else’s great segue. When I heard one of my colleagues do something that touched me, the first thing I wanted to do was to call them and tell them it was great. The second thing was that – from their subject matter – I got 15 different ideas to use when I got to work that night. That was the beauty of it.”

Role Model

National audiences became aware of the iconic Los Angeles talent through shows such as “Innerview,” “Headsets,” and “Jim Ladd’s Living Room.”

Considerably more than someone who voiced a script for a syndicated show, Ladd spent a great deal of time scrutinizing the fine art of interviewing. “I ripped off just about everything I know about interviewing people from Elliot Mintz,” he confided to me. “Elliott was my role model. He’d interview the Shah of Iran one week and John Lennon & Yoko Ono the following week. He’d talk with everyone in a warm, low-key and intelligent manner. It was completely unlike anything [else] I’d heard at the time and that really impressed me.”

The “Innerview” show had an 11-year run and was carried by 160 stations. “It was the first of its kind,” boasted Ladd, whose other syndication work involved voiceovers for an overseas television show. “I’m very proud of the work we did [on ‘Innerview’]. I did 99% of the interviews in the front room of my house in an artistic community in Laurel Canyon. People would immediately be put in a very comfortable place. It’s not a studio – it’s my home.”

The Work Is The Key

Another reason why people felt at ease was that, instead of focusing on a person’s life, Ladd addressed their work. “They loved that. Rather than talking about how many girls they had, what kind of drugs they did and life backstage, I studied every word of every lyric of the new album they wanted to talk about and grilled them about their songs on the environment. It would require six to eight hours of preparation. Then there was another 20 – 25 hours to write the one-hour show; it was a lot of work.”

Writing became such a worthwhile experience that, in 1991, he penned “Radio Waves: Life And Revolution On The FM Dial.”

As a result of these syndicated projects, this immensely respected rock personality diversified himself; the book became a big hit. “I guess I’m a radio guy who learned how to become a writer,” Ladd mused. “In order to get up enough courage to write my book, I read authors I like. I was required to do a great deal of writing for ‘Innerview’ and would write out what I’d say – which is something I never do [on my live show]. You’d also end up with two hours of tape and pick out what the person was going to say, how I was going to introduce it and what song would follow it.”

A Distant Second

Whenever anyone asked Ladd to name his favorite band, he qualified his answer by separating the Beatles.

The quartet, he stressed, had to be placed in a completely different category.

After that’s been done, he named the Doors as his favorite.

The same applied to his most memorable radio experiences, with KMET being the Beatles’ equivalent. “We were at the right place at the right time with the right people. We loved each other and there’s never been anything else like it.”

Nonetheless, he quickly stated that his favorite time is the next time he was able to sit behind a microphone. “The reason for that is [KLOS’-then program director] Rita Wilde,” he proclaimed. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have a boss who was [such a great on-air personality] and so supportive. If it weren’t for Rita Wilde, I wouldn’t be on the air – that’s just a fact. I want to keep free-form radio alive for the audience, but I also owe her to make this happen. She’s under a lot of pressure [when it comes to my show]. When I go in at 10:00 pm, the format literally stops. I can’t think of another boss in the world who would understand that.”

Numbers Game

His multi-decade Los Angeles track record and loyal following notwithstanding, Ladd still realized that ratings played a role in dictating his employment; however, as he declared, “Rita is one of the first people I’ve ever worked for in this business I trust when she says the numbers are up or down. Sometimes in my career I’ve found out from people who didn’t work at the station that my show was doing great. When there’s a down book, [management is usually] right there.”

Ultimate People Skills

Certain managers and programmers, he claimed, kept good books a secret from him; however, “Rita calls immediately when I have an up book. If I have a down book, I don’t hear from her; I have to call her. That says volumes to me. We’ll deal with a problem, but she doesn’t want to get me upset. She might tell me that I’m playing too much of this or not enough of that, but she never says anything [threatening]. It’s always from a helpful and suggestive [stance]. When the numbers are good, she leaves me totally alone. From my perspective, you can’t ask for more than that. Her people skills are unbelievable.”

In addition to have wanted to keep free-form radio alive as long as possible, Ladd disclosed that he wanted “to walk away before I can no longer do my job. I don’t know when it will happen, but the next stage in my life will probably be to write fulltime – I’m working on it.”

Contact TALKERS Managing Editor Mike Kinosian at Mike.Kinosian@gmail.com

Industry Views

Monday Memo: CES2024, Help Yourself

By TALKERS | December 18, 2023 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

It’s massive, it’s mind-boggling, and we-the-workin’-press are under strict instructions NOT to call it “The Consumer Electronics Show.” Lotsa luck. 100 thousand+ of us from 150+ countries will descend upon the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center and other venues up-and-down The Strip.

This long-running expo has evolved from “stereos” and VCRs and drones and smartphones and other thing-in-a-box products, to the new media which are broadcasters’ friends and foes. Yes, CES is still gadget heaven, but Artificial Intelligence – and how it will soon change everyday life – will be the big buzz this year.

TV network newscasts and cable news channels cover this event heavily, and you can too. Again, next month, I am offering TALKERS subscribers free daily 60-second radio reports, for air January 8-12, also OK for stream cover-up spots. There’s NO paperwork and NO national sponsor. So, if you sell a local sponsorship, keep the money.

You can hear a sample report (from CES2023), a spec you can use to pitch, at HollandCooke.com, where I will post daily reports the-night-before air.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

By TALKERS | December 15, 2023 by TALKERS

Audacy Buffalo raises $117,000 for the SPCA Serving Erie County during its SPCA Radiothon, held on December 13 and hosted by news/talk WBEN-AM and country WLKK-FM. Audacy Buffalo SVP and market manager Tim Wenger says, “We’re thrilled to have been able to spearhead the radiothon effort for the SPCA in 2023 and excited we exceeded the goal and expectations for the event. The money raised is a testament to our listeners’ commitment to community and will go a long way toward helping the SPCA meet a growing need.”

ARC Software, Inc announces that RADIO.CLOUD enters into an agreement establishing ARC as its primary affiliate research and maintenance platform. RADIO.CLOUD account director Andrew Scaglione says, “Switching to ARC is a no brainer. Speaking from experience using both ARC and other systems in the past, it’s hands down the best CRM for the radio industry with reliable contact information and a seamless digital contract process. It’s going to play a key role in our future growth across the North American radio landscape.”

SiriusXM announces it is presenting 46 games this college football postseason. SiriusXM will carry live play-by-play of every Division I FBS bowl game – including the College Football Playoff Semifinals and National Championship – as well as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Championship game and other postseason All-Star games. SiriusXM will carry Westwood One’s broadcast of the FCS Football Championship on January 7.

Industry News

Civic Media Adds New Evening Show to Wisconsin Talk Network

By TALKERS | December 5, 2023 by TALKERS

According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, comedian and filmmaker Pete Schwaba is now hosting a nightly talk program on the network of news programs and progressive talk shows that Civic Media is airing on its network of stations in Wisconsin that includes flagship station WAUK-AM, Waukesha. The “Nite Lite With Pete Schwaba” airs from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Schwaba has hosted programs for PBS Wisconsin in addition to his work in the film industry that includes writing for the 2003 film, A Guy Thing, and his own indie comedy film, The Godfather of Green Bay. He also served as a producer on the Jeff Foxworthy TV show, “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” He says, “Entertainment, just like sports, helps bring people together, which is more important now than ever. I’m excited to introduce listeners to people I’ve met over the years in the entertainment business, share experiences, and generally celebrate arts and culture in Wisconsin.” Read the Journal Sentinel piece here.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: Time Management? Don’t Even Try

By TALKERS | December 4, 2023 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

News flash: Time cannot be managed. But tasks can.

As we install a new PD at a client station, I will share with you what I’m sharing with him: Four techniques I myself have found EXTREMELY helpful over years of dancing-as-fast-as-I-can in several management positions.

1. “Map” your week. Use a spreadsheet, to create a schedule that doesn’t change week-to-week. Slot-in items like:
a) If you’re on-air: Your show + prep + when you do your daily promo/blog, post/social media, etc.
b) Talent meetings.
c) Regularly-scheduled Boss Time (see “folders’) below.
d) Is there a weekly staff meeting or department heads meeting? Do you routinely meet with sales? Slot it in.
e) In-bin and phone time (see below).
f) Days you’re available to do-lunch, or for sales calls.
g) MBWA time (“Management By Walking-Around”). Build it in.
f) What else?

Tip: Round-up. If something takes 45 minutes, slot-in an hour, to allow for bathroom breaks, checking voicemail, or running-across-the-street for a cuppa cawfee. Consider doing so even if there’s free crankcase coffee there at the station. It’s fresh air. Building in a couple short walks each day can really help you clear your mind between events.

This map you are making is “a living document,” subject to ongoing revision. But plan-your-work-and-work-your-plan, and you’ll find that lots more gets done. You’ll also find that people respond by being more punctual for you.

Tip: Find a hiding place. Always-being-in-your-office tempts interruptions. Two decades of management – and 23 years as a landlord – taught me how some issues that seemed “urgent” to people seeking your attention tend to resolve themselves before the would-be interrupter finds you.

2. Show your boss two file folders, one with your initials on the tab, the other with his/her initials on the tab. Give him/her the one with your initials, and keep the other one. Then, schedule a regular meeting (that goes on your map). The meeting can be weekly, daily, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, whatever. Lock it in, show up on-time.

Pledge to each other that you will avoid ad hoc, single-topic conversations. Unless someone is bleeding or something is on fire, the conversation can wait for a scheduled meeting. Toss a note, or pertinent document, into the folder.

I started doing this when I worked for a particularly “spontaneous” GM. NO NAMES. His half-dozen daily “Got a minute?” interruptions were extremely disruptive. And he was flattered when I showed him the respect of blocking-out Quality Time for issues we shared. Sure, he’d back-slide from time to time. When he did, I would ask, politely, “Do we need to handle this now, or should I put it in The Folder?” He took the hint; and praised me later, during my Performance Review, for suggesting the idea, which he instituted with the sales manager, business manager, and chief engineer. THANK ME LATER FOR THIS ONE.

3. Don’t answer the phone! That’s why there’s voicemail (and caller ID). Phone calls about every little thing are a torturous pause button and invite long workdays and more and taller piles of half-finished tasks. Set aside two times per day to schedule and return calls. Quality Time. Try it, and you will REALLY thank me. And I saved the best for last…

4. Touch each piece of paper ONCE. See “In-Bin time” in your weekly map above. Do one-of-the-following with every piece of paper or email that finds you:
a) Deal-with-it instantly (i.e., scribble a response and return to sender), or otherwise bring the issue to closure; OR
b) Send it to someone else (“delegation” in management lingo); OR
c) File it; OR
d) Circular-file-it (sort your mail over the wastebasket); OR
e) There is no e).

Ritualistic as all-of-the-above may seem, YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE if you take these suggestions literally. Things are busy enough that no routine less structured will suffice. And conducting yourself accordingly will send an important message to the people you work with.

Industry News

Mike Hulvey to Take Over for Erica Farber at RAB

By TALKERS | December 1, 2023 by TALKERS

The RAB announces that Mike Hulvey – CEO of Neuhoff Media – is named the new president and CEO of the organization, assuming the role from Erica Farber, effective April 1. The news was announced by RAB board chair and Connoisseur Media CEO and founder Jeff Warshaw. Farber, who has led the RAB for the past 12 years, “decided it is time to step down and pursue other interests including continuing to participate in RAB’s Rising Through the Ranks leadership development training and National Radio Talent System, a wholly owned subsidiary of the organization.” The organization goes on to say, “Under Farber’s stewardship, the RAB has reshaped the organization into a full-service integrated membership, business development and training concern as well as forged strong relationships within the advertising marketplace. Additionally, she has diversified and re-invigorated its board of directors to ensure the future of the trade association.” Speaking about Hulvey, Warshaw says, “Mike is an excellent selection with the relevant skills and expertise to lead the RAB. He has an impressive track record in corporate management and local radio expertise. In addition, as a past chair of the RAB he has a clear understanding of the organization and what the broadcast industry requires from RAB. He has a tremendous passion for the industry which will serve us all well.” Warshaw adds, “We thank Erica for her leadership over the past decade in helping to shape an organization that meets the needs of broadcasters today as well as for the future of the audio industry. She’s left an indelible imprint on the industry, and we can’t thank her enough for her commitment and passion to radio. It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with her.” Hulvey will work with Farber to ensure a smooth and successful transition during the next few months as her last day with the RAB will be April 30, 2024.

Industry News

Bonneville Denver Names Amanda Brown PD for “104.3 The Fan”

By TALKERS | November 29, 2023November 29, 2023 by TALKERS

Bonneville Denver names Amanda Brown program director for sports talk KKFN-FM “Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan.” Brown served with ESPN Radio for the past 20 years, most recently as PD of KSPN, Los Angeles. She takes over for Raj Sharan, who exits the station after four-and-a-half years. Bonneville Denver SVP and market manager Katie Reid says, “We are thrilled to welcome Amanda to the Bonneville family. She brings an extensive amount of experience, knowledge, and leadership to our team. Her understanding of the evolving sports landscape, and tremendous passion for digital media embodies everything we strive for at Denver Sports and on 104.3 The Fan.” Brown begins her new gig on December 4.

Industry News

TALKERS News Notes

By TALKERS | November 27, 2023November 27, 2023 by TALKERS

Midwest Communications’ news/talk KFGO-AM/FM, Fargo “The Mighty 790” is named Best Radio Station in Inforum’s 2023 The Best of the Red River Valley. The station has held the #1 position in the annual feature for more than 20 years. KFGO operations manager Joel Heitkamp states, “We have by far the biggest and most talented staff and we’re not afraid to add to it. We still go out there and find ways to improve. Our responsibility, first and foremost, is to our listeners. We’ll always realize that.”

Recently retired WIP-FM, Philadelphia morning drive host Angelo Cataldi publishes a book chronicling his career titled, LOUD: How a Shy Nerd Came to Philadelphia and Turned up the Volume in the Most Passionate Sports City in America (Triumph Books, 2023). The publisher’s promotion for the book says, “LOUD is an exuberant chronicle of Cataldi’s life, from his childhood as a self-described ‘king nerd’ in Providence, Rhode Island, to the traditional newspaper career he left behind, and his eventual rise to the top of the Philadelphia sports radio scene on WIP. Through it all, Cataldi remained dedicated to his mission of talking about what the city was talking about, in the same tone. And that tone was loud, passionate, and unapologetically real.”

Industry Views

Pending Business: We Are Growing

By TALKERS | November 13, 2023 by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

Survey says nearly half of all Americans over 13, nearly 135 million, listen to spoken word formats. The growth curve boasts an eye opening 52% jump in time spent listening at home.

Please keep in mind we are listening in 2023 via different platforms including AM/FM radio, smartphones, computer streaming, smart speakers, and smart TV. Podcasting is a major driver of this growth curve, almost tripling its share of total audio consumption. And the closer is traditional AM/FM radio is still the morning drive, in-car winner controlling 62% of listening, despite the auto industry’s attempt to shun the king of spoken word distribution – AM radio.

Audio marketers, please pound the drum a little louder when you pitch this growth story. I still haven’t seen this new validation pushed aggressively on X (formerly Twitter) among the Taylor Swift running to hug Travis Kelsey posts, have you? Anything on Instagram? Facebook? YouTube? Rumble? Are we reframing a modern version of that 1600s philosophical “if a tree falls in the forest…?”

All sellers need to take a minute to digest, discuss and integrate the findings in the Edison/NPR Spoken Word Audio report and start the drumbeat of growth, impact, engagement and influence. How else will we pushback on the taken-for-granted, same old-same old, spoken word presentation. Freshen up that media kit! Growth is an important sales point to make in any presentation and audio sellers need to keep pointing to that growth curve as competitors lean in on their own story lines.

Let’s get down to how best to answer W.I.F.A (what’s in it for advertisers) on your next presentation.

1) New. One of the most powerful words in sales and marketing. New information can drive new decisions. Let the numbers help make your point as you shape your presentation.

2) The Trend is Your Friend. Every business owner, entrepreneur, investor and CEO always want to be informed and in front of growth trends. You now have the opportunity in front of you.

3) Keep it Simple. Keep your information simple and easy to understand. Many influential newsletters use the simple technique of a bold number followed by a fast fact story line. If it works for the big boys, the technique should work for you.

4) Managers. Bring good news to your sales and marketing teams. Sellers, bring good news to your advertisers. The survey says we are growing, and positive growth is an important part of any business.

Industry Views

Monday Memo: TV Synergies

By TALKERS | November 6, 2023 by TALKERS

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

I am always impressed when I see-and-hear radio and TV stations swapping product.

— The most obvious asset is weather. Many radio stations’ forecasts are voiced by local television meteorologists, often gratis because their boss assigned them to, as part of an information alliance. So, the radio station’s weather cred’ stands on the broad shoulders of the weather brand the TV station promotes so relentlessly.

— For some news/talk stations, simulcasting a television newscast is the only way they can air local news in the afternoon. Turn lemons into lemonade. Radio people who love to hate TV audio under-estimate how loyal viewers are; and how conspicuous and convenient this can make the radio station.

— Especially if the deal includes promos – on both stations – voiced by trusted local TV anchors, offering that “If you can’t be home in time to SEE us, you can HEAR us…”

— In every market where we have executed this strategy, the TV talent has remarked about how many compliments they get for being on radio.

— Deal point: During simulcast newscasts, the TV station supers “Heard live on WXXX 8:50 AM.”

How’s THIS for resourceful?

— A radio station’s afternoon drive newscast consists of a 60-second live shot (or prerecorded live-on-tape) from a local TV newsroom, voiced by the TV anchor who ticks-off “the stories we’re following” that will be seen on evening newscasts.

— The radio station wraps it into a four-minute package, including:

— that live headline package, at the end of which

— the TV anchor hands off to radio’s traffic reporter, then…

— the traffic reporter teases weather into a radio spot, and…

— after the commercial, the weather comes on.

— And here’s the kicker…that live shot from the TV newsroom is a commercial for the TV station! To the listener’s ear, it’s a free newscast from a credible, branded source. Possibly a trade for TV time to advertise the radio station?

Another win-win synergy: Reciprocal excerpting, with attribution

Translation: Each station gives blanket permission for the other to grab, from the air, whatever it wants, crediting the originating partner.

— There will be times when someone from the radio station is on-scene; or when radio scores a newsworthy interview that TV can use the audio of. More often, thinner-staffed radio will use TV sound more than vice-versa.

— When I programmed WTOP, Washington, WUSA9 let us help ourselves to their newscast audio (“And the mayor told Channel 9…”). Each day, our desk and theirs compared assignments, and we recorded every WUSA newscast.

— True story: The news director from NBC4 came to my office and said, “You can use OUR sound, and you don’t even have to say ‘Channel 4!’ Just STOP saying ‘Channel 9.’”

— It was a flattering offer, but we remained loyal to WUSA, the once-upon-a-time WTOP-TV. Decades later we were still getting mail addressed to “WTOP-TV.” And both stations being CBS affiliates contributed to the lingering impression that we were siblings, so the confusion was actually useful. Does your radio station have a long-lost TV brother?

Radio takes TV where it otherwise can’t go: in-car

Note how aggressively TV stations are programming their apps and websites. They want to be a news brand, not just a news station.

— A smart TV station should want to give radio a ROSR (Reporter On-Scene Report) during the day (when radio audience is high and TV audience is low), because doing so serves to promote the upcoming evening TV newscast.

— WARNING, based on experience: This can be a tough sell to over-protective TV news directors, who may fret that by going-live on radio they’re alerting other TV stations to the story. Stinkin’ thinkin.’ Other TV stations could show up anyway, and they wouldn’t be as-well-known for covering the story as the TV station that’s also already reporting it on radio.

Local TV news is a hungry critter…

…with a limited budget. Which is why some TV stations toss-live to their radio partner’s host: “Gene, what are your callers saying about the congressman’s abrupt resignation?” Arrangements like this were commonplace even decades ago, when TV had to equip the radio studio with equipment more elaborate than modern day video chat requires.

The calculus is simple

Radio + TV > Radio – TV or TV – Radio

(Radio PLUS television is greater-than Radio MINUS television or television MINUS Radio.)

Even if you’re a music station that doesn’t do much news at all, these opportunities are worth exploring. At least trade spots, because neither station can afford to promote as much as it should.

Industry Views

International “1World Radio” Co-hosts Andy Gladding (USA) and Jamie-Lee Fredericks (South Africa) are This Week’s Guests on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | October 31, 2023 by TALKERS

The co-hosts of “1World Radio,” Andy Gladding and Jamie-Lee Fredericks, are this week’s guests on the award-winning PodcastOne series, “The Michael Harrison Interview.” Their weekly international radio show is a co-production of Gladding’s WRHU 88.7 FM, Hempstead, NY, USA and Fredericks’ Bush Radio 89.5 FM, Cape Town, South Africa. WRHU is a highly respected campus radio station broadcasting from Hofstra University on Long Island, just outside of New York City. The American co-host is also the chief engineer at WRHU as well as a college instructor. He simultaneously serves as chief engineer at Salem Media’s WNYM and WMCA in New York. The South African co-host is an air personality on Bush Radio – a dynamic young woman who grew up with an intense love of radio. The conversation explores the differences and similarities between their stations and how they reflect the cultures of their home nations. Not to be missed. Listen to the podcast in its entirety here.

Industry Views

Pending Business: Your 2024 Ad Sales Forecast

By TALKERS | October 23, 2023October 24, 2023 by TALKERS

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

Your crystal ball is still foggy, isn’t it?

Even worse, no matter how many times you try and shake it into a predictive submission, the answer is still the same, “Political-not sure, Weather Emergency-unforecastable.”

Nobody in business likes a lack of confidence, so “Not Sure” is a non-starter. For us radio fans, the variables in predicting a 2024 ad sales forecast are the most unforecastable, unpredictable, variables since the original gang of head-in-the-sand radio gurus pegged MTV as a 1981 fad.

And here we are, 42 years later where a pure-play music video channel challenging FM music radio, satellite music radio, music streaming and downloadable audio would include dating games and ridiculousness, once again saving America’s most-listened-to free music source: radio.

Remember 1981 when talk radio was mounting a competitive threat to all-news radio. Rush was 30, Hannity was 20, Bongino was seven and Ben Shapiro was not born yet. Anybody here have 42 years to wait out your 2024 predictions and get it right? How about 42 days late with your forecast?

Our new world of AI, super-speed computer analysis, blended into an ever-changing digital and social media landscape, under pressure from the economy, global events and the melting radio revenue ice cube has made predicting 2024 ad projections a Vegas skill game.

Thankfully, we have the experience, patience, and cooperation of radio’s leadership to adjust forecasting quarter by quarter, sort of. Back to the task at hand and how to navigate this cracked crystal ball as you mount your sales strategy into 2024.

— Keep your eye on the prize. Always remember, your current advertiser is your best advertiser. Take diligent care of your foundational base billing and that means super serving your customers, as competitors from every medium are monitoring, planning, and pricing a counter plan.

— Positive Paranoia. Thank you, Andy Grove. The third CEO of Intel and a driving force behind Silicon Valley’s original exponential growth knew how to channel innovation and competition into a positive zone. How about you?

— Never stop learning. What new strategies and sales techniques will you drive into next year.

— Something will drop out of your sales picture. What is it? Eventually a sale resource will drop out. Identify how you will compensate for the loss and how you will grow your business as a result.

— Do you have minimum and maximum goals? There are only so many accounts you can sell and service in a month. What is that number and how much do each of those accounts need to generate monthly?

— Attrition. The arch-enemy of sales. Some business never returns. Now what?

Many 2024 projections are falling in the ultra-conservative, no risk, under promise/overdeliver category. Yet there is a fine line between being too conservative and a vote of no confidence. What’s in your forecast?

Industry News

LABF Honors David Gleason

By TALKERS | October 18, 2023 by TALKERS

Broadcaster David Gleason is being honored with the inaugural Library of American Broadcasting Foundation’s Excellence in Broadcast Preservation Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and commitment to preserving broadcast history. LABF says, “Working on his own time and with his money for the past 20 years, Gleason has built a massive online archive of broadcasting and cable trade publications, books, music magazines, technical manuals, directories, yearbooks, company and station publications, programming guides and more. The archive — www.worldradiohistory.com — now tops nine million pages. Because it is online, the pages are readily available to the public – and searchable.” LABF co-chairs Heidi Raphael and Jack Goodman say, “There is no stopping him. What David has accomplished – virtually single-handedly — is extraordinary. He’s made an unparalleled contribution not only to the history of broadcasting, but to the story of the modern world as reflected and shaped by the media.”

Industry News

North Carolina Broadcast History Museum in the Works

By TALKERS | October 16, 2023 by TALKERS

State broadcast leaders in North Carolina are unveiling details of a planned North Carolina Broadcast History Museum. The museum initiative is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving North Carolina’s broadcasting legacy. The Museum is seeking assistance from the public and people who worked in broadcasting to collect artifacts, documents, photographs and recordings that chronicle the history of prominent radio and television stations, broadcasters, programs and events. Through exhibits and collections, the Museum seeks to highlight the contributions made by North Carolina Broadcasters in shaping the industry and the state’s culture landscape. Among the broadcast professionals pictured above at the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion announcing the new project is Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley (center).

Features

The Greatest Home Run

By TALKERS | October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 by TALKERS

A sports moment for the ages, a botched radio call, a live broadcast believed lost forever… then miraculously rediscovered. What a story!

By Mark Wainwright

The History Channel calls it “The Most Dramatic Home Run in World Series History.” ESPN has often described it as the greatest home run of all time. To this day, it is the only World Series Game 7 walk-off home run.

Long-time baseball fans know the basic facts: On October 13, 1960, Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a line drive over the left field wall at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field to win the World Series for the Pirates.

This was an iconic moment in baseball history, and an iconic moment in baseball broadcasting history, as well … although the Hall of Fame broadcaster who described the moment for the national radio audience probably wished he could have done a second take!

Above: Bill Mazeroski crosses the plate for the Game 7 victory! (photo courtesy YouTube)

It was a dramatic finish to an astonishing World Series, but as often happens, the backstory of that moment and how it was broadcast– and everything that led up to it – has been largely forgotten. As we follow this year’s MLB playoffs (while taking note of the anniversary), it’s worthwhile to look back at an earlier, very different era of post-season baseball…

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The 1960 World Series opponents could hardly have been more different. The New York Yankees of that era were a machine, and the 1960 team easily dominated the American League on their way to the pennant. In contrast, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a surprise. The Pirates had not been to the Series since 1927, they were coming off a mediocre 1959 season, and expectations were low… but they got off to a good start and managed to keep it going. With timely pitching, clutch hitting, lucky breaks, and a never-say-die attitude (21 of their 95 wins came in their final at-bat), the Pirates claimed the National League pennant. The Yankees were studs, while the Pirates were scrappers, and the first six games of the Series reflected the character and personality of the respective teams.

In their three wins, the Yankee sluggers clobbered Pittsburgh pitchers for 38 runs. Yet, the Pirates managed to hang on, squeezing out three close victories in response. It all came down to Game 7 at Forbes Field on the afternoon of Thursday, October 13. Not only were there multiple Hall-of-Famers on the field and in the dugouts, there were Hall-of-Famers in both the TV and radio broadcast booths:

NBC’s national TV broadcast (in “Living Color!”) was handled by Yankees announcer Mel Allen and the Pirates’ Bob Prince, while NBC’s national radio broadcast was called by the Chicago Cubs’ Jack Quinlan, and Chuck Thompson, the play-by-play voice of the Washington Senators… wait, what? The Washington Senators? Wasn’t Chuck Thompson the voice of the Baltimore Orioles forever? For most of his career, yes… but Thompson was caught in a business dispute between the Baltimore brewery that owned the Orioles and the Baltimore brewery that owned his broadcasting contract, so Chuck wound up in Washington for a while (alas, as so often happens in life, it was a battle between money and beer, and money won out).

Game 7 combined and concentrated all the craziness of the previous six. Both pitching staffs were tired, and the hitters took advantage; it is the only game in World Series history where no pitcher from either team recorded even a single strikeout. The Pirates jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the New York offense awakened and the Yankees took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when things really started to get strange…

In the Pittsburgh half of the 8th, it appeared a routine ground ball would start a double-play and stall a potential Pittsburgh rally… but the ball took a bad hop and hit Yankee shortstop (and later, Hall of Fame broadcaster) Tony Kubek in the throat. He got up bleeding and gasping for air, and was taken to the hospital with bruised vocal cords and a swollen trachea.The injury didn’t damage Kubek’s future career, but it kept the Pirates alive, and they followed with five runs to take a 9-7 lead into the 9th inning. Just three outs away, and yet…

The Yankees scored two runs to tie it at 9-9. The tying run was another odd play; a hard shot toward first base looked like a game-ending (and Series-ending) double play, but Pittsburgh first baseman Rocky Nelson took the easy out at first… which turned the play into a fielders’ choice. Mickey Mantle (the runner already on first) dove back to base and avoided the tag, which gave the Yankee runner on third the opportunity to tie it up. The Yankee inning ended with a routine ground out, so it all came down to the bottom of the 9th.

New York manager Casey Stengel left Ralph Terry in to pitch the 9th, with 15-game-winner Art Ditmar warming in the bullpen, if needed. Second baseman Bill Mazeroski would lead off the inning for the Pirates. Mazeroski was much better known for his outstanding glove work than his hitting, but he had one of the Pirates’ hottest bats late in the season, and it paid off.

Ball one, high. Catcher Johnny Blanchard went to the mound to briefly confer with Terry. Up in the radio booth, Chuck Thompson was obviously caught up in the excitement of the moment and everything leading up to it:

“Well, a little while ago, when we mentioned that this one, in typical fashion, was going right to the wire, little did we know…”

Then, at 3:36 pm, the 1-0 pitch, and…

“Art Ditmar throws…”

(Chuck, no! Ditmar’s still in the bullpen! Terry’s pitching!)

Thompson called the following moments superbly when Mazeroski connected and the ball sailed over the wall at the 406’ mark. Pandemonium ensued as Mazeroski quickly rounded the bases. Fans poured onto the field; it looked like half of Pittsburgh was poised to welcome him at home plate.

Unfortunately, Thompson committed another gaffe in the midst of the uproar:

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mazeroski has hit a one-nothing pitch over the left field fence at Forbes Field to win the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of ten to nothing!”

(Chuck, no! Look at the scoreboard! Look at your scorecard!)

…to his credit, he corrected himself moments later.

As both a long-time broadcaster and a Baltimore native – someone who heard Chuck Thompson broadcast countless games for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Colts of the NFL – it’s bizarre to hear Thompson commit these gaffes. Chuck Thompson did NOT make mistakes like this; he just didn’t. In his 1996 autobiography, he called it “easily the most embarrassing moment of my career behind the microphone.” His flawed moment did not derail a stellar career. In 1993, he received the Ford C. Frick broadcasting award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, and his name is honored in Cooperstown alongside the greats of the sport.

There’s a YouTube link, of course. Whoever produced it did a nice job of capturing this iconic event in sports history. You’ll hear Chuck Thompson’s “flawed but endearing” (as Wikipedia describes it) radio call of the homer, combined with the actual broadcast video. Although the audio portion switches over to Mel Allen’s TV call toward the conclusion, this minor deviation from the archived radio recording does nothing to spoil the drama and excitement. And by the way… the story behind how and why the Game 7 telecast was preserved is amazing enough on its own. So stay tuned for our post-game wrap-up!

The Greatest Home Run!

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EPILOGUE

Although NBC videotaped all seven games (in “Living Color!”), those recordings soon disappeared. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, videotape was very expensive back then, the reels were cumbersome, and storage was an issue. Thus, networks often re-used the tapes for various purposes, wiping everything that was recorded previously. Countless hours of television history have been lost due to this practice. So why did the entire TV broadcast of Game 7 survive intact (at least in black-and-white)?

You can thank Hollywood singing star Bing Crosby. Bing held an ownership interest in the Pirates then and was a huge fan, but he was oddly superstitious about things. He believed that watching the game on television would jinx the team, and showing up at Forbes Field would have been even worse. So he and his wife took off for a brief vacation in France, where he listened to the broadcast on shortwave radio. However…

Crosby had a close relationship with Ampex (including a financial interest), and he asked the folks at Ampex to record the game so he could watch it upon his return (but only if the Pirates won!). It’s not clear whether they taped it and transferred it to kinescope film or if they filmed a kinescope directly from the live broadcast. In any event, a black-and-white kinescope was saved and presented to Crosby. Presumably, Bing enjoyed viewing it and subsequently stashed it in his basement – where it remained untouched for forty-nine years!

In 2009, long after Crosby’s death, Robert Bader – an executive from Bing Crosby Enterprises – was going through materials at Crosby’s former home in Hillsborough, California. He was looking for any useful recorded video that could be transferred to DVD and marketed, and he stumbled onto the five-reel set in Bing’s wine cellar! It is the only known copy of the historic game. The reels were preserved and digitized, and later broadcast as part of several retrospectives covering the 1960 World Series and Game 7 specifically.

So… what’s mellowing in your wine cellar?

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Mark Wainwright is a veteran radio performer and voiceover artist who has spent decades working as a disc jockey, talk show host, and morning personality at well-known radio stations throughout the United States. He was most recently the morning host at WSYR in Syracuse, New York. Mark can be reached through his LinkedIn page or at: markwainwright@earthlink.net

Industry Views

The Problems Facing Radio Were Not Caused by Consolidation

By TALKERS | October 12, 2023October 13, 2023 by TALKERS

By Walter Sabo
Consultant, Sabo Media Implementers
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, “Sterling On Sunday”
Talk Media Network

As your friends get fired and on-air hosts are replaced with WideOrbit and Profitable Software, the mournful refrain is to unfairly blame consolidation. Consolidation has, in fact, made the medium financially viable and brought hundreds of individual stations from a river of red ink to the glow of black ink. Prior to consolidation, over half the radio stations in the U.S. lost money – year after year. Not a secret stat, those numbers were revealed annually by the NAB.

The flaw in the deregulation law was the elimination of the rules regarding financing of station acquisitions. Previous regulations required a licensee to prove it had the financial resources to cover expenses through the term of the license. Licenses could not be purchased with debt. Licensees could not sell the license until it expired. Radio stations could not be used for speculatory financial gain. When those rules were tossed, the industry hit a financial tailspin from which it has not recovered. That’s the problem.

That is not a “problem” with radio. In talks with publisher Michael Harrison about his exciting role in the United Nations as executive advisor to World Radio Day 2024, we shared a key observation: The world’s radio industry is overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Working with clients in London, Toronto, Montreal, Amsterdam, Athens and Sydney, the passion for the medium continues to grow and is supported by audience engagement and response.

Internationally, there is a robust radio set design and manufacturing industry. European listeners seek clothing featuring radio set themes and artwork. Believe me, the food at the NAB Europe is much better than that crap served here.

Follow the money. Radio is not legacy media. Radio is proven media – proven for over 100 years. Local retail advertisers are a practical lot. They buy advertising that works for this weekend. If it doesn’t bring feet to the floor and dollars to the door, sponsors just don’t repeat-buy.

I was the in-house programming guru at SiriusXM Satellite Radio for eight years starting pre-launch. The reason Sirius exists is test after test revealed that Americans liked radio so much, used radio so much, they wanted more stations. More choice. More.

Consolidation, with considerable credit to Randy Michaels, allowed radio to convert from a frequency media buy to a reach media buy. That puts radio in budgets with TV. The opportunity right now is to actually monetize radio’s clout as a reach medium. Create scarcity. More spots mean cheaper spots, smaller budgets and higher expense. More spots mean much less efficiency for media buyers. Media buyers have to spend their budgets. They would prefer to spend that money with one or two outlets before lunch rather than having to “make the buy” by purchasing dozens and dozens of stations acquiring spots that are cheap, bonused, thrown in, flanked, and here are some tickets. The fix starts with raising the price to meet the public’s perception and usage levels of radio.

Walter Sabo has grown audience share for a roster of clients that has included SiriusXM Satellite Radio, RKO, ABC, Apollo Advisors, Hearst, Wall Street Journal Radio and many others. Reach him at walter@sabomedia.com. Learn about his unique radio show at www.waltersterlingshow.com

Industry News

KYW, Philadelphia to Broadcast Mayoral Debate

By TALKERS | October 10, 2023 by TALKERS

Audacy’s all-news KYW-AM/FM, Philadelphia is hosting a mayoral debate ahead of the Philadelphia general election. Democratic nominee Cherelle Parker will face Republican nominee David Oh live on the “Philadelphia’s Morning News” program on October 26 from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. The debate will feature KYW journalists, including morning drive anchor Ian Bush, city hall bureau chief Pat Loeb, education reporter Mike DeNardo and community impact reporter Racquel Williams. KYW news director Kevin McCorry says, “Since the primary election was decided in May, we have been working diligently to ensure that we could provide this service to our audience. The next mayor of Philadelphia will shape our city for years to come. We need urgent solutions to the city’s most pressing issues, including the gun violence crisis, the opioid crisis, the economy and public schooling. Presenting a format where candidates get to exchange ideas in real time is a fundamental building block of the democratic process, and we’re proud to break our normal format to offer this program.”

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On the field? Maybe. In its impact on pro football and sports broadcasting? Absolutely!

By Mark Wainwright

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